Counting the cost of discipleship!

I came upon a very interesting passage today! I couldn’t get around it…I had to share it with you all. I’m hoping it will encourage someone.

This is an awesome message taught by the Master Teacher Himself..On counting the cost..Now we all know …we can get all the wisdom we need from Jesus..and He was a strategist..Teaching us even now through His Spirit within how to plan well..

Luke 14:28-33 was so powerful.. I couldn’t help but share it..You can apply this to your decision to marry, start a job/project, finances, educational goals…It will work because it’s truth…but in this particular passage it’s related to following Christ..

Jesus begins this passage by saying something like.. “If you intend to follow me… If you intend to be my disciple… If you intend to do anything successfully, you would do well to follow these instructions”

Now let me give you the instructions He gave us all who intend to be like Him and walk with Him..

We must be willing to hate (that’s a strong word) not prioritize over our relationship with Christ…our mother father, sister, brother, children, spouse.. that just about covers every other person..then He said you must be willing to Hate/ regard as less than valuable your own life…If you wish to follow Christ..You will have to do something else first…You will have to pick up your cross…and you will have to make a choice to do that EVERY DAY! Your husband, your children, your job isn’t your cross…their your choice..by the way!

Once you have decided to take it up…then you can be His disciple..

Now, He gives very general instructions…

If you’ve made a decision to do anything..He gives an example of sitting down…by yourself..Don’t make decisions rashly.
You have to count the cost so that you will know if you have what it takes to carry out the thing you’ve decided to do…
Your decision to follow Christ shouldn’t be made haphazardly. It must be very deliberate..and don’t let anyone tell you that you’ll have koolaid coming out of your faucet…He said you would have a cross…that you must pick up..and a cross simply means a way that we must die daily to our own fleshly desires…the things that feel good to us..doesn’t sound like a sunshine type life..for we may even have to hate our lives so much we are willing to die for Him..

After you have made the decision your going to do this..And you’ve known the sacrifices that will have to be made..this means each day you must make time to build a working relationship with Christ..you know those hours you used to sit on the phone with your closest friends..He’s saying now He has to take the place of that closest friend…He wants to be the first person you run to and the person you spend the most time with…But if you make this choice…You get life! and not any life…Life more abundantly…and You will live eternally..

so in a final recap let me tell you the steps mentioned in Luke 14:28-33 that you will need to take to become a follower of Christ..but let me mind you..if your not willing to do these things your not worthy to be a disciple at all…Forget it!

#1.Decide what you want..

#2. Sit down, get away alone, don’t make the decision cause it feels right and the pastor made you feel guilty..

#3. Count the cost..estimate what this will mean and how your life Must change to bear fruit for Him.

#4 consult those who have walked with Him and are in season.

#5. Consider whether or not your able to stand with Him until the end..come what may…are you sufficient

#6. If your not willing to do what it takes and have already made a decision…send an ambassage the passage says…for if you can’t do this…You can’t be His disciple
It’s a terrible thing to begin a task and your mocked because you didn’t have what it took to finish it in the end…
Be strong and settle in your heart nothing will deter you then walk in Christ and experience His life!